Walls
by SonyaAlone
Summary: Paul Burns was a badass rebel. His style was picking up pathetic boys, having his fun with them, then dropping them. Ramses Flores was a geeky kid just entering the world on his own. The last thing he expected was to be a part of a gang and fall for someone like Paul. (Loosely based on Big Brother 19 cast)
1. Walls Chapter 1

_Hey y'all! So this is my first real shot at a fanfic, I got this idea watching big brother because the cast would make such interesting characters in a story, so this happened! These characters are just based on the BB 19 cast and by no means are the same people. I hope you enjoy and I would love some feedback!_

Ramses was never much for making connections. He was a quirky kid who was friends with everyone, but never seemed to make a strong bond with a single person. Maybe it was because of his childhood. He had been a friendly child, but was told from a young age to never get too close to anyone. This was coming from his parents, whom had both cheated and been cheated on throughout their life. He learned that friends will only stab you in the back of you let them get too close and letting people in only led to pain. So all his life Ramses had closed himself off. He had a shield around his heart and nobody would break it. As he grew up he counted down the days to when he could move out. Life wasn't easy with his parents. His mom was a firm believer in the fact that you can never trust anyone and that you're better off alone, and his dad was just batshit crazy. He was homeschooled and went into the world with no idea what was in store.

He quickly figured out he was different. He would see these couples walking down the street, holding hands, kissing, loving each other. All his life he'd been told that wasn't real. That love was just a made up feeling used to trick you. When he finally allowed himself to feel these things he realized something else was wrong. He would talk to his friends and they would comment on a girl's appearance, noting how lucky her boyfriend is, but all that Ramses could think of was how attractive the men were. He felt such jealousy when a girl walked by clinging onto a good looking guy. It didn't take him long after that to figure out that he was gay. Nothing changed very much after that. He went to gay bars, sometimes he would hit it off with a cute guy, but at the end of the day he was still afraid. Afraid to let anyone get too close to him.

Paul was a very different person, but he had the same walls. Where Ramses was quirky and goofy Paul was badass and in control. Paul had been raised by an alcoholic mother who was never there and an abusive father who beat him until he finally up and left them. He'd always been gay and it was never a big deal to him. He knew that once he could finally get away from his old life everything would be fine. And he was absolutely right. He made a life for himself, got himself a gang and climbed his way to the top. Now he had a posse who would do anything he told them to. He had plenty of enemies. They called him a snake, a puppet master, but he embraced it. He took everything in good humor, even dressing as a snake when called out. Paul never had a serious boyfriend. That just wasn't his style. What he did was pick up poor little gay kids who needed a serious leg up and took them under his wing. He brought them to the gang, showed him the ropes, gave him a wild ride, then dropped him. Then he did the same with the next boy. And the next, and the next. And that was just how Paul navigated life.

His relationship with Ramses was no different. He first saw the kid on his way to the bar where his gang hung out. Ramses was getting to know the city and had wandered into the shady side of town. Paul instantly noticed him. He could tell he was new by the way his eyes scanned the street, pausing to take in his surroundings. Skirting around the drunk bums on the street, timidly passing the sketchy shops. Paul smirked.

'Perfect.' Paul thought to himself. He casually crossed the street and walked up to the boy.

Ramses protectively held the straps of his backpack as he read the menu of a shady restaurant. He hadn't planned on staying in this neighborhood for long, but he was so hungry he couldn't wait. He was fairly certain there was a fight going on inside, but a burger sounded pretty good. He was about to enter the restaurant when a heavily tattooed, bearded man put his arm between Ramses and the door.

"Hey kid, ya lost?" Paul smirked.

"Oh, um, no was just gonna eat." Ramses squeaked.

"Here?" Paul scoffed, "nah, I know the coolest hangout. Come with me." Paul insisted

"Well, um okay!" Ramses agreed.

Paul threw his arm around his shoulder and led him down the street.

"That piece of shit back there is no place for a kid like you, the foods awful. I promise, this place is MUCH better."

"Ok." Ramses walked with the older man around the block to a flashy bar.

"I'm Paul by the way."

"Oh, I'm Ramses!" He chirped, a little too cheerful. Paul smirked again. This was going to be all too easy.

Paul opened the door and gestured for Ramses to go in. He stepped through the doorway to reveal an old style bar, but lit up with a modern flare. You could still tell it wasn't in the best neighborhood and Ramses was sure plenty of fights went down here. Paul entered just behind him and was welcomed quite loudly.

"Heyyooooooo." A large cluster of people on the far side of the room called out as Paul walked in. He put his hand on Ramses's shoulder and led him over to the table.

"Hey Paul, who's this?" Asked a petite ginger with a sweet southern charm. Her hair was done up in two buns on top of her head and she sat on the table, legs draped over a muscular man with silver hair.

"Fresh meat." Paul joked. At least Ramses assumed he was joking.

"What's your name kid?" Asked another man. This guy was huge, he looked as if he were a bodybuilder.

"Uh, I'm uh."

"Ramses." Paul cut in. "Kid meet my people. This is Raven," he gestured to the girl with the buns, "Matt the silver fox, Mike," the bodybuilder, "Christmas, Dom, and Elena." He gestured to a muscular woman, a classy black girl, and an abrasive southern girl with bleached hair. Raven patted the chair next to her and Ramses tentatively sat down.

"Where you from Ramses?" She asked.

"Oh, I'm from a small town outside the city."

"What brings you into the city?" Matt asked.

"Uh, just wanted to escape really. My parents are sort of nuts."

"Oh, well you're with us now!" Raven grinned. Ramses smiled and realized a bit as the group got back to their chatter.

"So you hear anything from Jess and Cody?" Mark asked.

"Nah, those two are off my radar. Cody's gonna be out for a while and Jess is nothing without him." Ramses looked around in confusion.

"Oh, sorry darling, you have no clue what we're talking about." Raven exclaimed.

"Shit." Paul ran a hand through his hair. "So were a pretty tight gang here, you see? Yeah we all started coming here and basically got really close, us and these two other people. Jessica and Cody. We were real right until Cody tried to take me out. Said I was a 'snake' and a 'puppet master.' It blew up in his face and they're out now." Ramses's eyes opened wide.

"Wait are you like, a real gang? Like, fight people and... and, uh..."

"Yeah kid, they make gangs seem bad in movies, but I swear to you kid, we're full of friendship, we got each other's backs and that's why Cody and Jess had to go."

Ramses blinked, contemplating leaving. He could make it out the door and maybe down the street, but if they chased him he'd be a goner. Elena noticed his worried look.

"Don't worry Ramses, we don't turn on each other the way Cody did, we're just a group of friends who will fight for each other." Ramses calmed down a little bit. Paul took a seat beside him and slung his arm over Ramses's shoulder. The conversation stayed pretty light from there and Ramses seemed to fit in pretty well. 'Maybe, just maybe,' he thought, 'this is where I fit in.'


	2. Walls Chapter 2

_Hey guys! So chapter two here, I just wanted to clear up something. So Mike in chapter 1, his name is actually Mark if you were confused. Sorry that slipped by me!_

The gang stayed at the bar until late that night. When Kevin finally closed up they all filed out.

"So where to next?" Raven asked.

"Nah, I'm heading home. Ramses why don't you come with me." Paul offered. Ramses blushed.

"Oh, um I should probably…. I don't want to intrude.."

Paul laughed.

"Don't be ridiculous, c'mon. You'll have a great time." Ramses scanned the group. They all looked at him expectantly.

"I guess.. ok, yeah!"

Everyone smiled and Paul and Ramses said goodbye. He led him away and Raven started begging the rest of the group to go dancing with her.

The two walked a few blocks, Paul instigated most of the conversation, but he didn't really give Ramses a chance to feel uncomfortable.

"Yeah I've been hanging with them for about a year now, all good people." Paul said. "Matt and Raven are together. That's pretty obvious, they're head over heels for each other, pretty much love at first sight. She's a dancer. We first met her at a club. Matt was impossible that night, couldn't stay off the dance floor and let me tell you, he was never one to dance before. Mark and Elena are together too, but they've had their fair share of issues. Jess and Cody going rogue almost tore them apart, Mark wanted to stick with them and Elena was NOT having it. Market started to pity Christmas though, when they couldn't get me they went after her."

"What exactly happened?" Ramses asked.

Paul stopped.

"I'll tell you when we get home." Paul was silent for the rest of the walk.

They reached Paul's apartment a few minutes later. Ramses didn't it expect to be in such a sketchy building, he had envisioned Paul having a nicer apartment. They took the stairs up, Paul explaining that half the time the elevator was broken, and if it wasn't it would probably break down before you reach your floor. They approached his door and he unlocked it, flicking the light on as they walked in. Now this looked a lot more like the kind of place Paul would live. The outside was shabby, but the inside was lavishly decorated. Paul locked the door behind them, making sure to fasten the chain. He then took off the leather jacket he was wearing and tossed it onto a chair. He sat down and motioned for Ramses to do the same.

"So you want to know the whole story?"

"Yes." Ramses replied. "And I also want to know why you took me there. And here. And why you even talked to me."

Paul raised his eyebrows.

"No- I mean, it's fine I don't mind, it's great I like you guys, but why?"

"Kid, give me a chance to explain."

"Ok." Ramses sat back and waited for Paul to tell him everything.

"Well, like I said, about a year ago I moved here. Didn't have a great childhood, wanted to get away, but I didn't have the money so I moved into this shabby apartment and started my own clothing line. I met all them around here. Matt, Mark, and Elena all hung out at Kevin's a lot, we met Raven at a club, Dom sort of found her way in with us, Mark wanted Christmas, she was an old friend of his. And then there was Jess and Cody. They started showing up about six months ago. Cody instantly started trying to get Mark and Matt to side with him. They became a part of our gang, but Cody never really let me or Christmas in on anything. About a month ago some crazy shit went down, Cody followed me home, tried to beat me up, but I had left my keys and Matt found us. Cody got scared off and we all blew up the next day. Jess sided with him, then he went after Christmas. We took it out to the alleyway by the bar and Cody got what he deserved."

Ramses sat with his mouth opened wide.

"Did you kill him?" He asked.

"God no, kid! That's not our style. You kill someone suddenly you got cops after you and blood on your hands, everyone knows who you are and what you did. We injure. We hurt them so they're scared. When they're scared they don't bother us. Cody's gonna be in bed for a while and Jessica has nothing on us without him. Of course he's been spewing shit about how we backstabbed him and we're untrustworthy."

"Ouch." Ramses cut in.

"Anyway I think that's enough you need to know." Paul finished. He went to stand up but Ramses interrupted him.

"Why did you bring me here?"

Paul looked at him like a deer in headlights then sat down.

"What?"

"Why did you bring me here. Why did you pick me?"

"Kid."

Ramses sat up and leaned over towards Paul.

"You said you'd tell me."

Paul sighed.

"All right kid, so I like you. You've got spirit, you righted up the gang and we really need that right now."

Ramses smiled.

"You like me?" He cooed.

Paul rubbed his temples with his fingertips.

"You know what I mean." Paul groaned.

"Do I?" Ramses asked. There was no mocking tone to his voice and no hint of humor in his eyes. Paul grinned.

"Ramses, have you ever kissed a dude?"

Ramses was speechless he moved to lean back, but Paul caught his neck clutching it and brought his lips to Ramses's.

Truth be told, Ramses had never kissed anyone before. He'd imagined it, and maybe practiced once or twice with his hand, but never for real. Not like this. Paul's lips were hot and his tongue worked it's way into Ramses's mouth. He savored this moment, unsure wether to kiss him back or push him away, but he felt himself give in. Paul pulled away and grinned again. Ramses sat there still leaning forward, he didn't know how to react. Paul sat back.

"Well now you have."


	3. Walls Chapter 3

_Paul was in a dark alleyway. He had just left the bar and took a shortcut home. He walked with his head down, the last thing he needed was a tussle with some bum. He had just about reached the end of the alleyway when he heard footsteps approaching behind him. Paul whirled around putting his hand on his hip where he kept a small knife for emergencies._

 _"Who's there?" He called. Cody stepped out of the shadows, looming over Paul._

 _"Oh, hey Cody what are you doing here?" Paul asked._

 _"Doing something I should've done weeks ago." Cody snarled and punched Paul hard in the jaw. The blow was unexpected and Paul fell back against the wall of the alleyway stunned. Cody lunged at him with his fist ready, but Paul had grown up fighting. He ducked out of the way and threw his knee into Cody's crotch. Cody doubled over and Paul threw him against the wall. Cody didn't give Paul a chance to get the upper hand and grabbed him around the waist. He easily picked up the smaller man and threw him onto the ground, pressing a foot onto Paul's chest. Paul looked around frantically. This was when Matt showed up and saved him. Cody kneeled down, still pinning him down, and pulled out a knife. Paul felt panic set in. WHERE WAS MATT! He'd been here before, on the ground in this alleyway, Cody pinning him down, but Matt had saved him. Paul turned his head. Where was he?_

 _"What's going on?" He asked, his voice breaking._

 _"I'm gonna kill you." Cody smiled._

 _"But- Matt's supposed to save me!" Paul stammered_

 _"I don't think he plans on doing that, none of your friends are gonna save you."_

 _Paul gasped as the whole gang walked out of the shadows. Matt smirked as Raven clung on to his arm. Mark and Elena shared a look that seemed to be all too happy to see him in pain. Dom and Christmas grinned and Jess came over to Cody._

 _"Finish this Cody." She snarled. Cody smiled with a crazed look in his eyes and pressed the knife into Paul's neck._ _Paul thrashed wildly trying to escape, but the knife dug deeper and deeper into his skin. He tried to scream but couldn't make a sound. He was all by himself in this world._

Paul woke up in a cold sweat. He sat bolt upright only to find a body draped over him. Ramses stirred softly as Paul climbed out of bed. He turned back to see if his partner had woken up and was answered with a faint snore. He walked over to his dresser and pulled on some sweatpants. He opened his balcony door and stepped outside. It was cool out, still early, and Paul could see the homeless people shuffling through the alleyway below. He ran a hand through his hair and leaned against the rail. He let the breeze gently blow against his bare skin and exhaled slowly. He hadn't had a dream like that since his dad left.

Paul put his head in his hands and closed his eyes as tight as possible. He was back in that alleyway, Cody's strong boot pressing down on his chest. Paul felt a few tears slip out and roll down his cheeks. He wiped them away and tried to shake it off. When he was a kid he'd have nightmares where his dad killed him. Almost every night. Paul could hardly sleep, he was so afraid that his dad would come home in a rage and throw him against the wall. It happened so often already, Paul had been paranoid. So he toughened up. Learned to fight and stand up for himself. The next time his father threw a punch Paul was ready. He returned the favor earning him a slap to the face and a beating with his belt, but Paul felt victorious. Every time his father went after him Paul fought back until he finally left. That night Paul came home to find his father's room empty, and he finally got a good night's sleep. Now he was consumed by this fear again. He didn't like it, Paul Burns was fearless. He felt a wave of anxiety rush over him and he put his head in his hands again. He trembled as heavy sobs racked his body. He couldn't go through that again. It had taken a huge toll on his mental health, he wasn't the type to go to a doctor or psychologist or get diagnosed with anything, but he knew that damage had been done. He'd spent his teen years depressed and suicidal and the only thing that got him through that was the promise that he could leave as soon as he turned 18. He couldn't do it again. Paul stood up straight, wiping away his tears, and composed himself before going back inside.

Ramses was still snoring softly as Paul headed towards the kitchen. It was still early, almost 8:00. He'd been out there for almost an hour. Grabbing a skillet Paul sprayed it with non-stick spray and put it on the stove, grabbing a few eggs out of the fridge and frying them with ease. Ramses wandered out of the bedroom a few minutes later, the scent of food waking him up.

"One or two eggs?" Paul asked.

"Two." Ramses responded sliding onto the barstool at the counter. Paul carefully slid two eggs onto a plate for Ramses and two for himself. They sat at the counter eating. The only sounds were the clink of utensils on plates and chewing.

"Were you up long before me?" Ramses chewed.

"About an hour."

"Did you sleep well?" He continued.

"Yeah, I slept fine." Paul lied.

"Me too, hey are we going to meet up with the gang today?"

"Yeah, of course! What else would we do with our day?" Paul chuckled. Ramses grinned and finished his eggs. For now Paul was fine. He pushed the nightmare to the back of his mind. Cody was out, he didn't have anything to worry about.


	4. Walls Chapter 4

_Hey y'all, so up until this point I've been updating sporadically, so now I'm gonna post updates every Wednesday. Thanks for reading this, I've basically poured my heart and soul into this fic trying to get chapters written ahead of time in case I get burned out :)_

It had been nearly two weeks since Ramses was first introduced to the gang. Now he was a full fledged member, he got along great with all of them and he couldn't imagine a time when he didn't know them. They left the apartment around 9:00. They headed down to the bar. The bar was owned and run by Kevin O'Rourke. He was an older man, sort of clueless, from Boston. He constantly talked about his seven kids, though never mentioning why he left them. Ramses had also learned a lot about his new friends.

Matt and Cody had started a construction company, but when Cody went rogue that was it for him, Matt ran the company himself now. He was probably the most loyal guy you'd ever meet and had a genuine air about him. Raven was a dancer, she had danced professionally before packing her bags and leaving out of the blue. She was from Arkansas and wound up here after buying 'the first plane ticket to anywhere' as she put it. She still loves to dance and at first worked as a dancer at a strip club. Then she met Matt. The two fell for each other and she moved in with him, getting a more respectable job as a dance instructor at a small studio. She always made it her business to make sure everyone was happy and was the kindest person Ramses had ever known.

Elena and Mark had been in a relationship for a while, but their personalities clashed a lot. Mark and Matt had been solid friends for a long time before the gang formed, Elena hung with them a lot and Raven instantly took a liking to her.

Mark was a personal trainer at a gym just out of the shady part of town. He lived nearby and was the only one of them who wasn't trying to escape his past. He still visited his grandparents constantly, who lived 15 minutes away, and the gang had met up there more than a few times. Elena was something else. She was wild, yet at the same time had her boundaries and maintained a peace with others. She was from Texas and had worked as a radio host. After her radio station went off the air she left and wound up here. Half the time she and Mark would be fighting and refuse to talk to each other, but when they got along they really loved each other.

Dominique, or Dom for short, was the most put together of the group. She was an extremely religious individual and worked for the government. Most of the group wondered why she would put herself in this situation, a part of a gang on the wrong side of the tracks. Nobody really knew, but she was always there for them.

Christmas was an old friend of Mark's, they used to work out a lot together. A while back she had contacted him saying she wanted to get in touch and she moved out to the city. She had a real spirit, always cheered people up, and she fought hard for what she wanted.

Paul had grown up real tough. Abusive father, alcoholic mother, but he had turned things around when he moved out here. Ramses had found he really enjoyed Paul's company, he had a great sense of humor and was a really likeable guy. His appearance was on the intimidating side, but he had so many inside jokes and was a blast to be with. Not only was he entertaining, he was also really caring and protective of the group. He would never admit it, but Paul deeply cared for each and every one of them and would do whatever it took to keep them safe.

The gang didn't talk about Jess and Cody very much, it was still a really raw subject, but Ramses picked up a lot on their character. Apparently Cody had been a hothead and never got along with Paul, he'd been vying against him from the beginning. Paul had basically become the leader of this gang and Cody had tried to knock him off this pedestal constantly. A week before he attacked Paul he had sort of calmed down. Everyone felt at ease and he just threw a wrench in their happiness. Mark and Cody had been really close, closer than Mark and Paul, and when Cody went rogue he still had Marks trust. He tried to get everyone to slow down and give Cody another chance, but when he went after Christmas he lost Mark.

Jessica, Ramses gathered, wasn't all that bad a person. She had been tight with the other girls, especially Elena and Raven, and was in the dark about Cody's plan. She probably would still be a part of the gang if she hadn't left with Cody, but she did.

It was a really painful subject for the gang, they had all put a lot of trust into the pair and they'd all been stabbed in the back.

There were also a number of frequenters whom Ramses had gotten to know too. Alex was a small but might Asian girl. She had a spunky attitude and was often at Kevin's with Jason, a former auctioneer whose life fell apart when his wife took his son and left. There was also a hothead named Josh who had a passionate hatred towards Jess and Cody, and occasionally Mark. He would constantly come in, get all up in their faces, call them meatballs, and leave. Mark was dead set on driving him out, but Paul posed a good point when he said that Josh would be useful if Cody came after them again.

Ramses and Paul approached the bar and walked in expecting a warm welcome. Instead they were greeted by a hushed conversation and worried looks. Whatever this was, it couldn't be good.


End file.
